Free tax preparation offered through United Way in Middle TN

United Way's VITA program saves those eligible an average of $200-$300

Feb. 10, 2014

Ramona Wiggins discusses her tax return at one of United Way's 25 VITA sites in Middle Tennessee. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is staffed with IRS-certified volunteers and offers free tax preparation for those making $58,000 or less a year. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

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Brandi Ghergia of United Way helps a person with her tax preparations. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

How to get help

• To find out the nearest VITA site, call United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline or visit www.unitedwaynashville.org/vitasites for locations and times. • Some sites offer walk-in consultation; others are by appointment only. Select sites offer tax preparation services for Spanish speakers, others are focused on students and some offer an online option for those who prefer to enter their own information. • For those who prefer to use the VITA software at home, visit www.unitedwayfilefree.com.

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When asked about the benefits of using United Way’s tax preparation program, Tracey Dill said the answer is simple.

“It’s free,” said Dill, associate director of financial stability for the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. “That is the primary reason. It’s a free resource that allows families to access all credits that are available to them.”

The United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offers free tax preparation at 10 sites in Davidson County and about 25 in Middle Tennessee for those making $58,000 or less a year. The program is staffed with IRS-certified volunteers and helps clients realize credits through the earned income tax credit that they may otherwise overlook.

The VITA program saves individuals and families an average of $200 to $300, which is the typical cost of getting taxes prepared at traditional sites, according to United Way.

“It’s putting that money back into the pockets of those families who are working hard for it,” said Erica Mitchell, United Way director of community impact. “They are able to meet very real needs as a result of the dollars they are able to save through VITA.”

VITA’s army of 260 volunteers is comprised of retired certified public accountants, college students and those with an interest in helping others who have built their expertise through the program. Volunteers must take the equivalent of two days of classes, as well as pass a test, to become IRS-certified as a tax preparer.

Taxpayers save millions

United Way began running the program in Middle Tennessee in 2004. Last year, VITA served 12,200 people, up from 2,800 in 2004, and helped generate more than $19.8 million in tax refunds and credits in the Nashville area. Tax preparation services began Jan. 31 and will be offered through April 15.

The program helps filers identify all credits for which they are eligible, but the main focus is the Earned Income Tax Credit, which many filers don’t know they qualify for. Workers who earned less than $52,000 last year may qualify for credit, which is worth up to $6,044. About three in four filers get refunds, according to the IRS.

More than $25 million in potential earned income credit is unclaimed each year in Davidson County, according to United Way, citing research by the Nashville Alliance for Financial Independence.

“Taxes should be easy to do, but they’re not,” said Marian Ott, who has volunteered with VITA for more than a decade.

Ott said she has worked with VITA clients who came just to have their self-prepared returns checked and learned they were missing out on thousands of dollars in refunds. For example, one woman thought she had to have more than one child to qualify for an additional child tax credit and Ott helped her receive the credit, as well as amend previous returns.